Dering Harbor: Mayor briefs trustees on village issues
Dering Harbor Mayor Tim Hogue provided the following update for trustees in a brief meeting in Village Hall on Saturday morning, December 18.
• A new dry well was installed in the village, replacing a drainage system that had carried storm-water runoff directly into the bay. This improvement fulfills one of the requirements that will eventually take effect under MS4 – a federal initiative. The town and village are partners in working towards compliance with the new guidelines.
• The building permit application submitted at the November board meeting by Mickey Kostow is being revised and will be resubmitted, at which time the board will need to decide if it should be referred to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Mr. Kostow is considering adding a second story to his Lands End residence.
• The Tropins have transplanted the hedge at the curve of Manhanset and Sylvester roads in response to board concerns about safety at the curve of the roadway. The relocation is “a vast improvement,” the mayor said.
• A lot line change submitted by Patrick Parcells will be referred to the Planning Board for review. The request involves moving two boundary lines, affecting two of the property’s three subdivisions, and will relocate a barn that is currently part of an open space allotment. Board members raised some questions about the changes including the implications of decreasing the open space allotment by excluding the barn. It was agreed that the stipulations of the original subdivision agreement should be researched and forwarded to the Planning Board for review.
• Over the winter, there will be some interior painting in Village Hall, the mayor said, including all or part of the ceiling in the main meeting room as well as work in the two small conference rooms.
OTHER BUSINESS
Town attorney Joe Prokop informed the board about the dates of a fundraiser for the Suffolk County Village Officials Association of which Mayor Hogue is the current president, and encouraged board participation. Mr. Hogue explained that his goal as president this year is to help improve the working relationships between village and county governance.
Mr. Prokop also spoke about a new resolution from the Suffolk County Planning Board, which currently requires towns and villages to submit their decisions on variances and/or exceptions made by their respective zoning and planning boards.
The resolution would exempt requests for minor variances from the board’s review — a process that currently can take up to 45 days. ZBA Chair Bridg Hunt was in the audience and noted that because the ZBA meets so infrequently the review period was not punitive and the review itself by “an extra pair of eyes” was helpful. It was agreed not to pursue the exemption.
A schedule of meetings for 2011 was distributed. The mayor noted that, as previously discussed, the trustees would not meet in January but would resume their regular schedule on Saturday, February 19 at 10 a.m.